TfL signs £22.6m CCTV contract with Easynet

Supports move from analogue to digital surveillance system

Transport for London has awarded a 10-year, £22.6m contract to Easynet Global Services to provide digital telecommunications network services for its CCTV system upgrade.

The contract supports TfL’s move from an existing analogue CCTV system to a digital IP-based CCTV system, a separate contract awarded to Serco in March. TfL said the upgrade will improve the flexibility of the surveillance, and allow users to improve the road traffic flow in the capital.

Under the terms of the new contract, Easynet will provide design, build, test and support for a wide area and access network. It will also provide access from roadside camera locations via individual access links, and access links to the system to third-party locations, such as London borough councils and the Metropolitan Police.

As well as building the CCTV telecommunications network, Easynet will deliver a range of IP-based communications services, which is expected to be mainly fixed-line communications services.

London’s CCTV cameras have come under criticism from the Liberal Democrats in the past, who said that the surveillance systems were not helping to solve crimes.

Meanwhile, SAP-based TfL is preparing to sign an extensive range of framework agreements, totalling a potential £70m and covering IT services. The services will be available to other high-profile local bodies, including the Greater London Authority, all London borough councils and the Metropolitan Police.